Battery filler



Aug. 26 1924.

1,506,372 F. H. FREDETTE BATTERY FILLER Filed may 11, 1920 [N VEN TOR.

'1 BY 7 )JWATTORNEYK Patented Aug, 52%, 1

oral.

- v v 1 J FRANK El. FREDETTE, @E NEWARK, JERSEY, .ASSKGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGN- MENTS, 'IQ) LQUJIS GASSWELLI, E NEWARK; NEW JERSEY.

BATTERY FILLER.

' I Application filed may llflletll. serial 210,380,448.

To: all whom it may, concern:

Be it known that l, FRANK H. Fnnon'rrn, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of, Newark, county of Essex, and State of NewJersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Battery Fillers,ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a storage battery accessory, and has for itsobject theiprovis sion of a distilled water tank superposed upon the topof a storage battery case, with connections from said tank to each ofthe battery cells whereby upon fixing the tank in its place,communication is automatically opened to permit the how of water fromthe tank and maintain a uniform level in the several cells or thebattery. It is well known that in use, the battery fluid will evaporate,and it not replenished, the plates will hecome exposed and rapidlydeteriorate or he completely ruined. Constant attention is necessary,and since such batteries are in extensive use upon autoniohiles wherethey are'usually placed in some inaccessible part of the machine, thisirequent attention and replacing oil the distilled water becomesirksonie.With ordinary use, the cells should he replenished once in ten days ortwo weeks; it not the eficiency oi the battery is allected and possilolythe whole hattery ruined.

With my device, a single filling of the tank is usually suficient tokeep the battery supplied with distilled water for several months; andsince it is tery level is constant;

in the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, t l isa side elevation, partly in section, or a S-cell storage battery, with a3- cell water tank superposed thereon,

2 is. a fragmentary view, showing ividual tanks for each batter cell.

Fig. 3 is a detached side elevation oi the valve connection between thetank and the partsthroughout the specificationand draw I box of a sizeand shape to contain a plurall have automatic, the hat- Thehattery case1 is ordinarily wooden shown a case containihg threev such cells. It isnot deemed necessary to describe the details of the cells, since theyform no part 7.

a The valve case 7 is provided with an interior seat 9, and the tubularstem 10, which latter takes over the upwardly projecting stern ll fromthe cell cap 8. The valve l3 is of conical form and is providedwith aguiding stem M, which'exte'nds a short dis. tahce into the tubular stem10. Secured to the upper face of the valve 13 is a cylinder of softrubber 15, which serves as an elastic hacking tor the valve. The upperend of the case 7 is closed by the cap 16, screwed down justinto contactwith the cylinder 15 when thevalve 15' is upon its seat 9., Tn thismanner, 1 term a very cheap but efiective check valve for. the tank,which prevents the escape of its contents so long as the valve isseated,

The cell cap 8, as above set forth, has the upwardl extending stem 11,which projects into the tubular stem 10 to a distance sufficient tocontact the valve stern 14., and when the tank is pressed down into' itsppoper position, so as'to bring the lower end or the stern 10 intoairtight contact with the upper trace of the cap 8, the valve 13 will heunseated, and thus open the passagethrough the valve case to the smallpassage 17, which extends through the stem 11, cap 8 and through thelower stem 18, which latter is integral with the cap 8, and extends tothe liquid level of the cell. The capj8 is also provided with a vent 19,by means'of which the interior of the cell is kept at atmosphericpressure. The lower end of the stem 14 is provided with cross slot 12which registers with the upper end of the passageli', so that a freepassage istormed when the valve is unseated, from the tank 8 to the cell2.

The tank 3 is supported upon the edge of the hattery case 1, by means ofthe ill? brackets 19, which are made of sheet metal as shown, and Ir'ovided with struck out lugs 20, upon whlch the bottom of the tank (at24:. a

3 rests. provided with the windows 21, through which the height oi-the'water within the several compartments of the tank may beobserved.

When the tank or the tank compartments are to be filled, the tank isremoved and the caps 5 are removed,.when, of course, the water may bepoured into the tank; the re-. moval of the tank will remove thepressure upon the lower ends of the valve stems 14, v, permitting therubber spring to expand and forcibly seat the valve 13, thus preventinthe escape of any of the water during the filling of the tank. 1

- In operation, when the filled tank is placed in position, the waterwill trickle down through the valve: passage from the tank into thecell, bubbles of a-ir rising at the same time to take its place in thetank.

" This will continue until such time as the liquid level in the cellsrises to cover the 7 lower endo'f the passage 17, when the flow willcease. Whenever the liquid in the cell evaporates so as to uncover thepassage 17,

vthe flow will again start, and thus the op- 'l' eration becomesautomatic.

In order that the battery chemicals shall not deteriorate the tank orits connections, I find it best to make all of the parts of vulcanizedrubber, though any material which will not be attacked by the chemicalsor battery gaseswill serve the purpose fully I as well.

The front of the tank is further The improvement may be of sizes anddimensions to fit existing forms of batteries,v

or where the conditions permit, the brackets 19 may be permanentlysecured to the battery case, and a suitable means provided for. mountinthe tank upon the upper end.

of the bran ets. These and other slight changes may be adopted withoutdeparting from the spirit-and. scope of my invention.

I claim 1. In combination with a plurality of storage battery cells, afiller tank having a pluralit of closed compartments therein,

separaib e tubular connections; between the respective bottoms of saidcompartments and saidcells respectively, each of said connectionscomprising a valve c'ase' fitted to an opening in the bottom of thecompart- I :ment and havin an elongated tubular dis-' charge stem an acell cap having an elongated tubular stem extending from the normal 1iuid level in said cell to a point withdischarge stem, a valve yieldinglyin sai heldlipon its seat within each case and each valve adapted to beunseated by the insertion of said cap stems into said discharge stems inplacing said tank in position,

whereby the valves in the several cases are simultaneously seated by theremoval of said tank from said cells.

2. In combination with a storage battery cell, a closed filler tankadapted" to besupported upon and above said cell, a separable tubularconnection between the bottom of said tank and the-top of said cell,compris ing an elongated tubular stem extending from the normal liquidlevel in said cell to a point within'said dischar e stem, and a valveyieldingl held upon mts seat wlthm said case and adapted to be unseatedas and when said cap stem is inserted into said discharge stem inplacing said tank in tion, and whereby said valve is automat1- callyseated by the removal 'of said tank from said cell.

FRANK H. FREDE'IITE.

s5 'ing a valve casefitted to an opening in the 4 bottom of said tankand having an elongated tubular discharge stem, and a cell cap have

